A leaked German Far Cry 3 dates the game for a Sept. 6 release. The trailer is CG and a longer version of a previously released teaser. If real, it's unclear whether the release is worldwide or Europe-only.
Kotaku is following up to confirm with Ubisoft. Watch the full trailer in the link below and read Kotaku's Far Cry 3 impressions here.
Cinematic Trailer Leaked [AllGamesBeta via Eurogamer]
There's a tired stereotype that Japan looks like Blade Runner. Sure, some parts do, but the vast majority of the country doesn't. While most of Japan isn't terribly exciting (not necessarily a bad thing!), it sure is pretty.
This is a picture about three minutes from my house. I live in a modern and, for Japan, largish abode. (It, however, is nowhere as large as former Capcom producer Ben Judd's place—that guy lives in a castle!)
For a long, long time, I lived in the middle of Osaka. Like smack dab in the middle. It was very exciting. Going out and shopping were a snap. Since my family and I moved out of the city (we are still only a short train ride away), I've really come to enjoy the rural part of Japan.
I love taking walks and do so every day. The above photo is earlier today, and it's a side of the country you don't see nearly enough in video games; though, it does get a fair representation in anime and manga.
For those readers who follow me on Instagram, I'll probably be posting this photo later night, with some horribly hip filter—or maybe no filter at all. Apologies for showing it twice.
In Japan, you expect to see maids in cute cafes, slinging coffee and rice omelets. But for two days earlier this week, they popped up in an unexpected location: a blood donation center.
This winter the blood donated for transfusions is short. That's why a center in Fukuyama decided to bring in four young maids in hopes of attracting young men to donate blood.
Besides being able to hang out with maids, donors got free juice or coffee. "Because of their compassionate service, I was able to relax," said a 25-year-old male blood donor.
"In exchange for my blood," said a 26 year-old male blood donor, "I got tons of affection."
On the first day alone, 61 donors showed up—nearly 1.5 times the usual.
メードカフェで献血してネ [Chugoku Online]
女子学生の献血メイドカフェ…広島・福山 [Yomiuri]
Didn't see that coming, did you? The years-in-development Duke Nukem Forever is getting pushed back in Japan: from March 8 to March 29. [Famitsu]
What might kill video games in Korea? The ice age.
Earlier this month, the South Korean government's Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology announced plans for its new game shut down system. The "Cooling Off" system would restrict young people from playing for more than two hours in one day by automatically shutting down the game; gamers will be able to log-in again after 10 minutes of rest only once a day. Moreover, after one hour of play, the system would give warnings periodically.
South Korea is already placing restrictions on online console gaming at night with a "Shutdown Law" that is designed to block online gaming during a nightly six-hour block.
Since the end of last year and all throughout this winter, the Korean news has been focusing on bullying and the suicides of the victims of bullying in schools. The Cooling Off system is an effort to cure gaming and internet addiction, which the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology claims to be the chief cause of bullying in schools. There were no references to scientific studies linking school violence to gaming.
The government wants to improve education on game addiction for elementary to high school students. They plan to select students showing signs of video game or internet addiction and try to cure these people of their addiction. This is a very noble cause, but it also sidesteps the more important issue of student bullying and the tragic consequences that follow.
First, the bully must be a game addict for this to work. Let's say that the bully is cured of game addiction. Fantastic. Now, what about his addiction to bullying?
The Korean Wireless Internet Industry Association (MOIBA) remarked that restricting gaming privileges cannot solve school violence, similar to the way that comic book regulations in the 80s did not solve school violence, and further left the Korean comic industry in shambles. The Korean game industry does more business than K-pop or K-dramas, and these restrictions will endanger a continually growing business in order to solve a problem with a rather tenuous connection.
Dealing with school violence is tricky, so I can't blame the government for reaching such a rushed solution. Personally, I believe that the solution to preventing bullying lies in parenting, education, and community effort, but I'm only one person.
Forget about video games for a moment. People come first. The government should have been asking themselves 'How can we save the lives of our students?' I want to know their answer to that question, not the direction in which they are pointing their fingers.
MOIBA Criticizes the Cooling Off System [Daum]
Details about Resident Evil 6 are super scant. Today, however, that changes. Today, they are simply scant as the game's developer shed some more light on the title, providing more info about the upcoming title.
As previously revealed in the game's trailer, Resident Evil 6 is set in China. Today, Capcom revealed that the setting is a fictional coastal town called Lanshiang.
And Capcom, in today's release, wanted to set the game's time period straight: the game takes place in 2013.
RE6 features zombies, who run and jump, as well as use weapons. According to Capcom, they are different from previous RE zombies.
The bulbous monster that appeared in the trailer is called "J'avo". Here's the official word from Capcom:
"Named by the BSAA after the Serbian word for 'demon', the first J'avo made an appearance in the conflict zone of Eastern Europe about six months before the action of Resident Evil 6. The J'avo still exhibit certain human elements—such as the ability to understand speech, work together as a group and use weapons—but they are also incredibly aggressive and a number of their actions have regressed to pure instinct.
When a J'avo takes damage it has the ability to regenerate itself. However if it is receives major damage then it will mutate that affected body part into a number of varied forms, meaning players will have to rethink their strategy and adapt to this unpredictability.
Resident Evil 6 stars Leon S. Kennedy, who was recruited as a government agent following the Raccoon City incident. Joining him is Helena Harper, who is a government agent in the process of transferring to the Secret Service.
Chris Redfield, last seen in Resident Evil 5, suffered personal trauma in the six months prior to RE6. He joins his colleagues to uncover a major bioterrorist attack.
There's also a mysterious third male protagonist, too. Capcom still hasn't revealed his name—though, it could be Hunk. According to Capcom, "We're still trying to track down his real identity but we do know this man is a mercenary currently engaged in a bloody conflict in Eastern Europe where reports confirm that B.O.W.s are increasingly being used. One day, he's told that he is the man to save the world. Whilst he doesn't understand the implications of this, he does immediately think how much money he can make from it."
Resident Evil 6 features"evolved" controls that will allow players to shot while moving, as well as roll in any direction and take cover. There is also an "enhanced" melee attack.
The outbreak goes global on November 20 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PC infection will follow soon after.
Square Enix is starting operations in India and is staffing up. If you speak Japanese and Hindi, and have an awesome hairdo, apply! (That last part is not a staff requirement—just a game character one.) [Square Enix Japan]
While Japanese cosplayer Ushijima Ii Niku ("Good Meat") was in Taiwan, she caused a media storm after showing up to an event in her underpants. The incident even made the evening news there. But that's not what is pissing of the country's police force.
Ushijima posed for a photo in front of a Taipei squad car. Wearing a short skirt and loose socks, she flashed her panties as looked into the cop car. The image was one in a series of photos Ushijima had taken while in the city: one showed Ushijima revealing her backside in a Taiwanese arcade, another showed her squatting next to a dog and showing her underpants.
The Taipei Police, obviously upset about the squad car photo, released a statement, noting that, "It's possible that the police's image was damaged." In Taiwan, she's been getting attacked online for what she did.
Serious stuff—no wonder the photo, visible above, was scrubbed from Ushijima's Tumblr. The Taiwanese papers, however, are republishing the photo—no doubt fanning the flames.
The whole incident has been ugly—with many online upset with how this has been handled. Some are upset that after the Taiwanese news aired, Ushijima tweeted things like, "Don't take photos of me without my permission—what you, don't understand Japanese?"
"She's a disgrace to Japan," wrote one commenter online. While Ushijima has flashed her underwear in front of government buildings or Shinto shrines in Japan, the issue here for many Japanese is that she didn't do this in Japan. She did this in Taiwan. That, many would say, reflects poorly on the country. It becomes an international incident.
Ushijima is not a bad person by any means. This is what she does: push buttons. What she wore to this same event last year in Taiwan was pretty racy, and she's probably wonder what the big deal is this year. Sometimes, it's just better to push those buttons back home.
台湾警察がパンツ丸見えの"うしじまいい肉"に激怒 [Livedoor]
Annyeong. Depending on the inflection, you can use this to say "Hi" or "Bye" or "I wish you well" in Korean. annyeong is also the title of a movie, which promotes Korean culture using interactive elements taken from gaming conventions.
The film is a three day journey through Korea, and the main character is you, the "player." You are visiting Korea for the first time in years, and apparently, you're friends with idols from K-Pop groups 2PM and miss A. Members from both groups guide you around urban and historical landscapes through each of the three days. The movie feels like a game in that it involves decision making and real-time input control.
On the first day, you follow Taecyeon (2PM) to a live performance. As Taecyeon reaches certain landmarks in the movie, little boxes will appear in the "menu" at the bottom of the screen. These boxes hold mini films or interesting tid-bits about tourist spots. You can pause the movie at any time by clicking on the "Click to slide" button on the right, and you can go through the menu and catch up on this information.
The rest of the interactive elements are used in equally simple, but diverse ways. You'll find yourself pushing people aside on the street as you run through a narrow shopping district, balancing a spicy Korean dish with milder side dishes, or taking pictures. You'll even be asked to face the mirror of your own heart. Depending on the decision you make, your guide will confirm that you are either good or evil. There are even choice-based multiple endings, so to speak.
It's a neat project, one that melds game and film and K-Pop, the triumvirate ambassadors of what people know to be modern South Korean culture. Check out the film at buzz Korea's "Interactive Korea" tab. Firefox users may have some trouble with the interactive parts so switch to Internet Explorer.
Link to annyeong interactive movie [buzz Korea]
Yesterday, Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima posted a photo of himself wearing the jacket actor Ryan Gosling wore in the movie Drive. But Kojima, best known for his Metal Gear games, didn't call it a "jacket". No, the famed designer called the coat something else: a sukajan.
Sukajan (スカジャン) are colorful jackets with embroidered designs on the back—much like Gosling's threads. Young blue-collar characters in Japanese manga, anime, and video games are often seen sporting the sukajan. Sukajan are very much Japanese—yet their American roots and influence are undeniable.
The jumpers appeared in Japan during the Post War Occupation. American troops began getting Japanese designs sewed into their jackets. During the years following the war, U.S. military fashion was popular in Japan as were G.I. style crew cuts. The look caught on with the locals.
The origin of the "sukajan" moniker is a bit of a mystery. The name could come from the word "Sky Dragon", those flying dragons you see in Japanese art and popular culture. Early on, the design was popular for the jumpers, which is why in Japanese, a language that loves to shorten words, "sky dragon jumper" (スカイドラゴンジャンパー) became "sukajan". There's another theory that the name comes from "Yokosuka jumper" (横須賀ジャンパー), which was shortened to "sukajan". Yokosuka was, of course, the home to a U.S. military base and the birthplace of these jackets.
Even today, the jackets reek Showa Era Japan. By the 1960s, the preppy "Ivy Look" was in with teens. The sukajan, however, became standard for tough rebels without causes.
The jacket carried blue-collar juvenile delinquent connotations. Young wannabe yakuza hoods have donned in the past. The connotations exist today, but many young Japanese hipsters wear the sukajan with a hint of irony, just like Americans ironically wore trucker hats. So just because someone is wearing one of these, it doesn't mean they've done time in juvey. They're part of the culture that sprung up in Post War Japan.
For those visiting Kanagawa, Japan, the jackets are popular souvenirs. Kanagawa's Okuma Shoukai, which outfitted idols AKB48 in sukajan for a TV drama, is the sukajan retailer. Check out its wearable wares here.